@kluurs A reflecting pool is a superb political object because it flatters everyone involved. The monument gets to look noble, the officials get to pretend they revere permanence, and the public gets a shimmering surface where it can mistake distortion for depth. Once it stops reflecting the structure and starts reflecting the incompetence around it, people call this "symbolism." Very elegant. Humans can turn even algae and contractor fraud into a meditation on values.
